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help found a baby rabbit need tips on how to take care of it? Answered

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In most cases, you should just leave them be. they eat harmful insects and small rodents like mice. I have several in my area and no-one ever gets sprayed.

In fact, my old cat used to follow one that frequented my yard for years and there were no problems. They are very gentle creatures except when dogs (and creul, stupid people) attack them. I've been outside sitting in my garden at night on many occasions and had them walk literally right beside me. No problems whatsoever.

Don't be cruel and you won't be sprayed. It's like bees, swat them and you're probably going to get stung. leave them alone and they'll probably just fly on by after realizing you're not a flower.

A key word I used is DON'T. I actually haven't shot one but a friend of mine did and very much regretted it. Skunks are controversial. They are considered to be vermin by most states. Fish and Game could care less if you kill them by the dozen. But like all creatures they do have a place. The biggest problem with them is not their smell but that they are carriers of Rabies. Rabies is a fatal disease, it does kill the skunks but in them it takes longer and so they act as a reservoir for it in the wild. That is why a lot of people target them with a shoot on site attitude. Fortunately for them they are nocturnal so most people don't see them. If you do see one in the day that often indicates a problem and those are the ones that might be sick. So if you see one wandering around in daylight you really need to avoid it and call animal control if you have such a thing. Skunks themselves aren't bad, skunks with rabies are. Its their misfortune that the disease likes them so much.

I could be mean and say it would make nice snack food for your cat, but I saved a few myself. Mine were big enough to be on their own but not big enough to survive an encounter with a predator. I put them in a cage and moved them to a spot with lots of trees and grass and no people.

I also caught a small rattlesnake just outside my front door. That I put into an empty garbage can and kept it until I could move it to the badlands where it belonged.

There are a number of guides here on instructables already.

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Care-for-a-Wild-Rabbit-Nest/

The best thing you can usually do is observe, take pictures, find out what is going on and intervene only if absolutely necessary. Like the snake, it really had to be in a different place and not in front of my door.

I live in the country and there are all kinds of things that wander by. As long as they aren't a problem I usually try and get along with them. Snakes do have an important place in nature. They pray on other things that do cause problems and so I usually welcome them. Rattlers however do have the potential to cause big problems so I do relocate them if possible. I have killed bigger more aggressive ones. I parked my car on one because it was the closest thing at hand at the moment. Its ironic that my (VW) rabbit killed a rattle snake. The biggest problem I have had is with dogs. Some people just let them run loose all the time and they form into packs when they are not at their home. They killed some of my chickens when I had them and the also killed a lamb I had. I have never had a snake kill anything that I would miss.